Eddie returns drunk to the house. Just before he returns Catherine and Rodolfo are about to go into the bedroom. As Eddie returns, Catherine ‘enters from the bedroom; under his gaze she adjusts her dress’, we know from this that the audience is aware that there is likely to be a conflict between Rodolfo and Eddie as Eddie comes home drunk and is unlikely to hide his emotions. Eddie knows that Catherine likes Rodolfo as she has said ‘yeh I like him’ which gives the impression that Eddie knows she will do anything to please him. After Eddie entered the house, he asks Catherine if ‘Rodolfo makin’ you a dress?’ this is another way Eddie has been trying to point out that Rodolfo is gay, we know the audience have realised his ill feelings towards gay people as while talking to Alfieri he says that ‘The guy aint right, Mr Alfieri’. Which the audience keeps this in mind about Eddie as the play continues. This feeling that Eddie has towards Rodolfo creates a cloud of tension as the audience can feel an un-edgy feel to what Eddie will do next. Eddie would do anything for Catherine and is an over protective figure. We can see this when Eddie is talking to Catherine about the way she’s been since Rodolfo has come to stay ‘I don’t think you listening any more to me.’ This shows the audience a sensitive side to Eddie which also goes on when Catherine tells him she likes Rodolfo ‘He looks at her like a lost boy’ this brings a tear to the audience’s eye, which again causes an emotional charge. Eddies thought of Rodolfo getting his hands on Catherine disgust’s him and Eddie tries not to waste any time so he tells Rodolfo straight,’ get your stuff and get out of here.’ The audience can tell that Eddie has this sexual image of Catherine and Rodolfo together. All these years Eddie has treated Catherine like ‘a baby’ and she’s not having it anymore. Eddie ‘reaches out suddenly, draws her to him, and as she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth.’ The audience watch this in horror as they see a fatherly figure trying showing a totally different side.
The stage directions make Eddie grab Catherine’s arm. This makes Catherine frightened; we can see this as the playwright has written for her to be trembling with fear. The fear of Eddie builds up for Catherine as she’s never seen Eddie act like this. Making Eddie drunk at the time creates a drama in it’s self. A drunken man is always scary, even to an audience who is watching would be gripping onto their seats with fear of what he could do next.
This whole setting of Eddie becoming angry and shouting and then crying gives a really dramatic feel as two strong emotions are put together. This is the kind of feeling Miller is looking for. To add to the drama Miller chooses to make Eddie kiss Catherine. This changes the atmosphere in the play. Rodolfo gets very protective about Catherine causing the conflict to build up. The stage directions show a physical contact between Rodolfo and Eddie. This makes the audience nervous while watching. They know that Eddie is drunk and as he dislikes Rodolfo so much is probably going to hit him. To add to the tension of the play Rodolfo shows his emotions more than we would expect to as the stage directions tell him to have ‘tears of rage.’
At this point in the play the whole scene is beginning to reach boiling point. To top the dramatic feel the playwright writes in his stage directions, ‘Rodolfo flies at him in attack. Eddie pins his arms, laughing, and suddenly kisses him.’ At this point the audience is probably in shock. Miller wanted there to be unexpected events.
All three character’s emotions have been built up like a volcano about to erupt. Catherine looses it with Eddie and shouts at him, something she wouldn’t normally do. She’s just lost the respect she had for Eddie; she ‘stares at him in horror’.
Another key point which shows conflict and tension is when Eddie changes Rodolfo to fighting match. Before Eddie challenges Rodolfo the playwright has written for Eddie’s character to be ‘rubbing his fists into his palms,’ for the audience it gives a fear of Eddie because the character doesn’t normally behave like this. The way Eddie tells Catherine that ‘somebody’s liable to step on his foot’ makes the audience nervous again because they have been watching the tension build up and this scene increases this because it involves fighting. We can see that Rodolfo is ‘embarrassed’ about the fighting, which could make Eddie feel only gay people don’t fight. He’s using boxing to hit Rodolfo and see if he’s manly enough. As the scene continues the tension builds up more and more when Rodolfo ‘jabs at Eddie’s jaw and grazes it’ because we know Eddie’s using this so he has a reason to hit Rodolfo back. Eddie knows when he’s in a good position when his blow ‘mildly staggered Rodolfo.’ At this point the tension’s at a real high as Eddie knows he’s in control. To wind Eddie up even more Rodolfo says ‘ no, no, he didn’t hurt me’ The stage directions bring it all together because the playwright has chosen for Rodolfo to say it directly, ‘to Eddie with a certain gleam and a smile’ and Rodolfo knows this will wind him up. This whole scene has brought lots of great tension to the play. To bring the scene though the playwright leaves Eddie ‘rubbing his fists together’ and Rodolfo putting on ‘Paper Doll’, which makes Eddie believe he’s gay.
